Tsunami Hero Jailed for Theft in Australia

SYDNEY, Australia - An Australian hailed as a hero for allegedly rescuing more than a dozen tsunami victims in Thailand was arrested Monday as he returned home by police who recognized him as a suspected burglar.



Thomas David Connell was handcuffed and arrested by Queensland state police after he stepped off the plane at Brisbane International Airport.


Police said they recognized Connell, whom they had been seeking for two years, after he gave a television interview from Thailand that aired in Australia last week. The said he is wanted on assault and burglary charges.


The 32-year-old businessman was dubbed by local media as "the good samaritan of Patong Beach" for his role in allegedly saving as many as 20 people during the Dec. 26 tsunami that smashed over the island resort of Phuket.


Connell appeared in Brisbane Magistrate's Court late Monday and was granted bail until his next court appearance in February.


Connell said he spent most of the day in a holding cell suffering flashbacks of his ordeal, and that police had mistaken him for someone else.


"To be a life saver, saving 20 people, and then come back to my home country and I'm going straight into a bloody jail cell with hoodlums all day," Connell told Channel 10 television network. "I'm not a bloody hoodlum."

Is that morally right??I mean he did'nt killed anybody

here's the link
story.news.yah... oo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050104/ap_on_re_au_an/australia_tsunami_hero_arrested&cid=590&ncid=2337




[edit on 3-1-2005 by michboisnard]

[edit on 3-1-2005 by michboisnard]

Will it is sad, it is the law and it must be upheld at all causes.

He should be arrested to make an example that no one is above the law, but his sentence could be cancelled or reduced because he has saved so many people.

Surf

The way I understood it (through my local news coverage) the police had had a great deal of trouble in locating the guy for some reason.
He was given very rigid bail conditions after his court appearance. I think he may have been refused bail totally if he had not become something of a minor celebrity.
I also think that he may have hammed up his situation a little to reporters -- he sure seemed to be sucking for as much sympathy as he could get.
Not saying that he hasn't suffered extreme trauma, just that he seemed to be exploiting the ordeal to his best advantage.
I seriously doubt that police would be foolish enough to arrest him as he arrived - with all the media there - unless they had significant evidence against him.

I would easily give him forgiveness and even would give him a medal for his bravery but in this world it's easier to punish than to reward

I hope it will be canceled... it's a better exemple I think